Guy Lunardi's blog

Just got back from the hospital and figured I would develop a little on Tim's update tonight.

They were looking out the window this afternoon when I got to the hospital. Tori and Tim were hanging out in the main lobby of the hospital looking at the snow and the cars driving by. She looked quite good in her chair (expect maybe for the poorly coordinated outfit :-) ). We sat there for a little while checking out the magazines provided by the hospital and waiting for Maria.

As she arrived, Tim went out to help her get things out of the car and Tori and I played 'Ridge Racer' on the PSP for a few minutes. She was probably disappointed by my performance but it is not easy to play over her chair.

Once Tim and Maria returned, we proceeded back to Tori room where she was ready to get back into her bed.

After Tim headed home, Maria started “Ocean's Twelve” for her. She tried super-hard to watch the whole thing but her eyes got too heavy about 4/5 into it. Maria decided to let her take a nap for a few minutes.

We ordered take out dinner from Winger's and enjoyed it while Tori was sleeping. Getting back into her room, Maria promptly tuned the TV to “Desperate Housewives”. Maria had to explain to me the fabric of the show because it was processing. After a few minutes into the show, Tori woke up. She appeared calm and wanting to watch the show with Maria. They sat by each other and watch the show after I filled Tori into what had happened earlier in the episode.

All around, it was nice to see her calmer and more alert.

Like everyone else, I truly hope that Tori and Maria get a good night of sleep.
Take good care of each other,
-Guy

Happy Turkey Day everyone,

Hopefully by now most of you are very close to consume your freshly carved dinner.

Tim, Maria, Brendan and Whitney stopped by earlier on their way to TJ's house. They are there as I am writing this hopefully enjoying themselves.

Sophie was kind enough enough to come back very early this morning to keep ToRi and I company. She took a detour via the grocery store to buy breakfast and the newspaper (Sales ads). There was no point in both Sophie and I staying up here last night so she went back to sleep in our bed. Or sleep period I should say.

Tori and I didn't really find that in our portfolio of activities last night. According to Tori's nurse Jessica, she was already pretty agitated at 3pm when she started her shift. Basically, between that time and 9am this morning she didn't really rest.

After her 10pm medications, Sophie was still here to witness how restless Tori was. We still decided it was wiser for one of us to go home and get some sleep. It was a great idea since I was able to 'snooze' a little bit with Tori this early afternoon while Sophie was watching after us.

I figured I was going to keep these to myself but there is no reason not to share them (expect for the fact that I am not going to review them and send them as is). For some reason, I felt compelled to document my night with Tori so that I could remember how it was like (maybe others can also understand the troubles she is still fighting with)...

It's been a few days since we have received the last entries for the contest and yet we have not voted on the result.

Last night, thinking about it - I decided that it would be even better if every member of Pray4Tori.com had a right to vote. Therefore, after talking to Tim and Whitney, we have decided to open the results for members to vote.

A few terms:
- Entry submitters can not vote for their own entries.
- Anonymous users can not vote. You have to be logged in to vote.
- The voting score will reflect the average of the scores given by members.
- You do not have to vote on all entries, simply give a high score to the ones you like.

Once we have collected the votes: we will hopefully have elected winners in each category. I am not setting a deadline for voting yet but get to it fast! :-)

Steps:
- You can start here.

- Select a category you want to vote in.

- Review the entries and give your highest score to the one you like best (you can choose to only give a score to one or any entry).

- That's it.












Happy voting everyone!
-Guy

Janine's comment prompted me to write something up quickly about the whole isolation thing...

After spending nearly 8 hours in Tori's room yesterday - the yellow gown, face mask and green gloves: not cool :-) .

First of all, you look ridiculous (granted I should be used to it).

Secondly: it's hot and uncomfortable. The first thing to come off is the face mask. You are only obligated to wear it when you are within 3 feet of Tori. The gloves are more bearable but after one hour or so, you need a new pair.

The isolation is not so much to protect us or Tori but to protect the other patients from developing the same infection.

I almost forgot, if you didn't think that my first statement was true: this is pretty much what you look like to Tori when in her room right now: click here.

Finally, I would like to say that Tori and I would have loved to be with you all last night. But they didn't have enough gowns for everybody...

Take care,
-Guy

Here is the article in the Salt Lake Tribune in the Friday, September 30th, 2005 edition of the newspaper.

http://www.sltrib.com/search/ci_3072521

Candle sales benefit crash victim
By Frances Johnson Close-Up Staff

Everywhere she looked, Becky Lunceford saw the signs. Pray for Tori. Please help Tori. There were stickers on car bumpers, signs in shop windows. One day Lunceford's 18-year-old daughter saw a sign that included a Web site, www.pray4tori.com.
"That night I got home and went to the Web site and started reading," Lunceford said. "I was just sobbing before I got to the end. I stayed up until 4 a.m."
Tori is Tori Schmanski, 15, of Orem, who suffered a traumatic brain injury in a car accident on Father's Day. Her parents, Tim and Maria, did not leave her side during her three-month stay at Primary Children's Medical Center.
Lunceford, who has four teenage daughters, was instantly moved by the Schmanskis' story and wanted to do something to help.
As it happens, Lunceford is more than just a sympathetic mother. She is also chief executive officer of For Every Body, a bath and body product company she started 10 years ago. The company expanded to include 150 national sales representatives and three retail locations in Lindon, Orem, and at 416 E. 12300 South in Draper.
Lunceford decided to use her product to make a difference in Tori's life. She contacted Tori's father and told him she wanted to start making a special candle just for his daughter. The 26-ounce candles are called Tori's candles and come in six different scents, including mango and apple pie. They retail for $14 and all proceeds go to the Schmanski family. Each candle has a picture of Tori on the front, and the top of each jar is adorned with sparkles and a dancing figurine. Tori, before her accident, was an avid dancer. According to Shannon Young, public relations director of For Every Body, more than $100 worth of candles were sold in the first week.

"It has made me more impressed with the company," Young said of the campaign.

"It made me realize there's more depth to the company than just making a profit."

Profit, at least from this project, seems to be the last thing on Lunceford's mind. She has no monetary goals for the candles.
"I just want to help them," she said of the Schmanskis. She said she and Tori's family have become fast friends. "I just want to see her care go on. She's just touched my heart and I've never even met her."
Last week, Tori was moved to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center, where she will continue to undergo intensive physical, occupational and speech therapy, her father said.
"We're really, really starting primitive," Schmanski said. "There's a lot she has to relearn."
Schmanski said his family has been supported through the ordeal by friends, family, and complete strangers like Lunceford, who have stepped up to help where they can.
"It's phenomenal," he said. "I am so amazed at how many people like Becky have come out to help Tori. It's definitely had a big impact on us."
And they are not alone. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month in October, For Every Body donated 1,500 pink candles to six area hospitals.
"Each woman who goes in to get a mammogram will get a free candle," Young said.
As for Tori's candles, Lunceford said they will be on sale until Tori dances again.
"I want to see Tori dancing," she said.

-Tim

Here is a link for everyone who missed the broadcast or is out of the SLC area. The streaming video will only work using the Microsoft IE browser with the appropriate plug-in installed.

Story:
http://www.abc4.com/local_news/local_headlines/ story.aspx?content_id=F4D78537-771D-4055-B90E-0FBBE06D5EC9

Video:
http://www.abc4.com/mediacenter/default.aspx?videoId=25721

Enjoy!!

-Tim

Please click here to access the ordering page!!

Thank you!!

The Schmanski Family

All 179 Pray 4 Tori T-Shirts have arrived in 11 different colors!! They will be available tonight at the Timpanogos High School Open House from 6:00pm until 9:00pm so if you really want the color of your choice, COME TO TIMPANOGOS HIGH SCHOOL TONIGHT!! :-)

First come, first serve on all of the T-Shirts!!

Thanks again and I hope to see everyone there!!

-Tim

Here is another Deseret News article in the Monday, September 19th, 2005 edition of the newspaper.

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view2/1,4382,610152117,00.html?textfield=Schmanski

Support eases Orem teen's recovery
By Sara Israelsen
Deseret Morning News

OREM — Three months after a terrible accident, the support group for Tori Schmanski continues to grow.
Tori, a 14-year-old from Orem, was in a car accident June 19 and spent almost 15 minutes trapped in a car submerged upside down in a lake. She has been in Primary Children's Medical Center since the accident, battling pneumonia, feeding tube mishaps and even septic shock.
Still, her family has rallied, doing what they can to make life easier for her.
"It's a challenge, but I think it's brought us a lot closer in a lot of ways," said her father Tim Schmanski. "It's going to take us all to help bring Tori as far as possible. We're all trying to contribute. We're all committed to helping her get the highest quality of life possible. It's not easy, but we're going to give her that shot."
Lately, Tori has been going through rehabilitation, trying to gain movement and stability. When supported, she can move her hands and arms, sit up and even stand.
Now, Tori must gain weight. Since the accident, her dad said, she has lost 25 pounds, which doesn't leave her body with enough fat for her digestive system to work properly. At the hospital, she is fed high-calorie meals through a tube to her intestines because her stomach is still too weak to handle food.
One frightening glitch happened when her feeding tube came loose. She vomited and inhaled some of the vomit, which led to her third bout with pneumonia.
"Those are the challenges and you just have to deal with them," Tim Schmanski said.
Tim Schmanski and his wife, Maria, are on a rotation. One night, Maria will sleep in the chair in Tori's room, the next night is Tim's turn. For 89 days, Tori has never been a night without a parent at her side.
But it's not just parental support that is helping Tori pull through.
For Every Body, a bath and body and candle manufacturer based in Lindon, has created a new line of candles especially for Tori. All proceeds go to the Schmanski family.
The candles, which come in six scents, including tropical mango, plumeria and apple pie, feature a picture of Tori on the front, as well as sparkles and a small image of a dancer or ballet shoes on the top of the candle. In less than two weeks, For Every Body has already sold 70 candles — $14 each — through their stores; the Schmanski's Web site, www.pray4tori.com; and The Dance Club, where Tori was an avid dancer.
"It's amazing to be a part of something that will help someone else so much," said Shannon Young, a representative of For Every Body. "I think as a company, everyone's aware of her situation and wanting to help, so it's really neat to be a part of it."
And the family says it is grateful for the support they have and continue to receive. Family members tend Tori's two younger siblings. Neighbors shower the family with love and support. Even strangers stop to ask how they can help.
"We rely on a lot of the prayers and support out there from friends, family, even strangers," Tim Schmanski said. "It helps keep us going."

Here is a story that came out in today's edition of the Daily Herald. There are only a couple of errors one being that the Dance Club is in Orem rather than Lindon and the other is that Tori could 'almost' sit up by herself. Enjoy!!

http://www.harktheherald.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=64168

Candle company to help teen

Michael Rigert DAILY HERALD

Empathizing with the tragedy and suffering of 15-year-old Tori Schmanski's family since she sustained a traumatic brain injury in a June 19 car accident, a Utah County business is hoping residents will say a prayer and light a candle for Tori.

Tori was critically injured in a Father's Day roll-over accident in Delta.
The sport utility vehicle she was riding in landed upside down in a canal. Everyone was able to escape but Tori, who was under water for 10 to 15 minutes before emergency personnel pulled her out. After being resuscitated in an ambulance, she was flown by medical helicopter to Primary Children's Medical Center where she has undergone treatment.

Shannon Young, For Every Body spokeswoman, said company CEO Becky Lunceford had daughters who attended the same Lindon dance studio as Tori.

"Though she didn't know Tori, when she heard about the accident, she wanted to help," Young said.

A week ago, the Lindon-based candle and gift company introduced a new line of special 26-ounce "Pray 4 Tori" candles, with all the proceeds going to assist the Schmanski family with Tori's medical bills. The $14 candles can be purchased at www.pray4tori.com or at For Every Body stores at the University Mall in Orem, and at the business' Lindon and Draper stores.

"As a mother, I can't imagine what the family is going through," Lunceford said. "We want to help in any way we can."

Tim Schmanski, Tori's father, said his daughter's recovery has been slow. He said the family had seen significant progress, including watching her sit up by herself, until a setback a week ago when she came down with pneumonia.